The invention relates to a mechanism for facilitating the loading and unloading of palleted contents to and from a delivery truck and more particularly to a mechanism capable of lifting the leading edge of an associated pallet during loading and the trailing edge during unloading, thereby minimizing the potential for the mechanism to contact an obstacle on the vehicle floor during the loading and unloading operations. The invention also relates to a method of lifting the leading edge of the associated pallet to facilitate loading and unloading thereof.
It is generally well known in the field of freight handling to place loads of material on pallets and employ a mechanism such as a forklift truck apparatus or a pallet jack, for example, to raise the palleted contents to facilitate the loading and unloading operations.
Typically, the pallet jack includes narrow tines or forks which are employed for lifting the loaded pallets. A handle which operates an associated pump is typically employed to raise the tines or forks. The handle is repeatedly moved in an arcuate up and down manner to raise the tines or forks to a desired height. The forklift truck requires the use of an associated motor to raise the tines or forks to the desired height.
Since mechanisms such as the pallet jack and the forklift truck are heavy, bulky, expensive, and in certain situations require separate operators, it is desirable to have an easily operated mechanism which is economical to produce.
An object of the present invention is to produce a pallet lifting and moving mechanism capable of only slightly lifting or raising one end of the palleted contents to facilitate the movement thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to produce a pallet lifting and moving mechanism which is simple and economical to manufacture.
Another object of the present invention is to produce a pallet lifting and moving mechanism which is easy to use.
Yet another object of the present invention is to produce a pallet lifting and moving mechanism which facilitates the safe movement of palleted contents from one position to another.
Still another object of the present invention is to produce a pallet lifting and moving mechanism which is lightweight and requires a minimal amount of space for operation.
The above, as well as other objects of the invention, may be readily achieved by a pallet lifting and moving mechanism comprising: a base including a supporting surface engaging portion; a cam member pivotally secured to the base; wheel means operatively mounted to the cam member; and a handle secured to the cam member for pivotally moving the cam member to elevate the base.
The invention also contemplates a method of lifting an edge of an associated pallet during transport of the pallet on a support surface using a pallet lifting and moving mechanism having a base with a support surface engaging portion and a lip portion extending outwardly therefrom, a cam member pivotally secured to the base, wheel means rotatingly secured to the cam member, and a handle detachably secured to the cam member, the method comprising: placing the lip portion under the edge of the pallet; causing the cam member to be cammed downwardly using the handle to cause the cam member to contact the support surface thereby raising the pallet lifting and moving mechanism with respect to the supporting surface and similarly raising the pallet edge with respect to the support surface; further causing the cam member to be cammed downwardly using the handle to cause the wheel to contact the support surface; moving the pallet into a desired position on the support surface; causing the cam member to be cammed upwardly using the handle to cause the wheel to lose contact with the support surface; causing the cam member to be further cammed upwardly to cause the cam surface to lose contact with the support surface; and removing the lip portion from under the edge of the pallet.